This blog was created for the awareness of Lemierre Syndrome in memory of Justin Rodgers. This is a very serious disease. It's starting to make it's way back into the public. Everyone (including Drs) need to be more aware of it!
** Warning some pictures and blogs on this site may be graphic.
Even if you have been to this site 100 times please scroll all the way down. I add new things through out the page all the time.
For more info on Lemierre's visit www.lemierresyndrome.com

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

It will be held Sat Sept 26th @ 7:00am, (Shotgun Start) at the Sugar Creek Golf Course in Fenton MO. There will be Golf Pro Awards, Cash Awards for 1st place in multiple flights, Prizes for longest drive & closest to pin, $25,000 hole in one prize, Unlimited Beer, Soda, Water, A Grilled lunch, Optional Skins game for $5 per golfer, Prize Raffle and 50/50 Raffle all of this for only $99.95. I have uploaded the information sheet as well as the sign up sheet to the right of this post. Please right click on them and select print picture. Please pass around to every golfer you know. This will be lots of fun and you are helping 2 organizations! If you would like more information please email me.sunflwz2@yahoo.com

Music

Justin's news article in the West Magazine

In April, Eureka High School student Justin Rodgers began to complain of a severe sore throat and was dead approximately one month later from an unfamiliar disease. Now, his mother hopes to spread awareness about the deadly disease.Justin died in the early morning hours of May 12, the day after Mother’s Day, after losing a battle with Lemierre’s Syndrome, a serious bacteria that is not well-known and even doctors are prone to misdiagnose the disease. Unfortunately, Rodgers’ doctor was among that group after initially diagnosing him with strep throat on April 11, said Sheryl Rodgers, Justin’s mother.“Justin had said, ‘Mom, this is the worst sore throat I’ve ever had in my life,’” Rodgers said.She said that Justin’s doctor took no throat culture and gave her son medicine for strep throat. She said her son’s condition worsened over the next few days during which he had increased high fever, chest pain and a lump in his neck. On April 14, Rodgers took her son to St. Anthony’s Hospital, which transported him overnight to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital where he underwent extensive testing, including X-rays and blood work, Rodgers said.Rodgers said that hospital officials diagnosed him with Lemierre’s Syndrome, a bacteria that can surface after mouth trauma. Last July, Justin was in a car accident that resulted in mouth injuries that required him to get major dental work, including a recent new tooth. In addition, Justin had suffered a broken nose just before the onset of his sore throat, his mother said.“I wonder if all this woke up the bacteria, which was already living in the body,” Rodgers said.The last time Rodgers saw him fully awake was a few days later, when hospital officials decided to place her son on a respirator and sedate him with drugs.“He was out of it but still with us then,” Rodgers said. “He would frown when the doctors worked on him. So he had some responses.”However, Justin’s lungs kept collapsing, prompting hospital doctors by April 25 to place him on an ECMO machine to help rest his lungs and heart. Doctors at that point also put him into an induced coma, Rodgers said.“At that point there was no response from Justin,” Rodgers said. “Still, I talked to him and rubbed his sore spots to let him know we were there.”By Mother’s Day, Justin was leaking too much blood, prompting doctors to decide to remove him from the ECMO, a move they said was risky if his lungs were not healed enough.“Once they took him off the ECMO, Justin’s face was getting gray,” Rodgers said. “He was holding his own for a few hours, but then he starting going downhill.”Justin died early the next morning following Mother’s Day with his immediate family, including three older siblings, by his side, Rodgers said.“He was our baby,” Rodgers said. “I think the hospital tried to keep him going so he did not die on Mother’s Day.”The tragedy is not the first for the Rodgers family. They also lost a 4-year-old child in a horseback riding accident and had a stillborn child many years ago, Rodgers said.“I thought God could not possibly do this to us again,” Rodgers said. “I asked why again, why us. But there is no answer. Here we are walking on egg shells again.”Rodgers said she was at least thankful that Justin’s funeral was so big that people were standing outside, a huge tribute to his life. She also hopes to honor his life with a campaign to help spread awareness about Lemierre’s Syndrome, which she said often hits people between the ages of 14 and 25. It is not spread by kissing but instead lives in the body, she said. Her goal is to make people, including doctors, more aware of its symptoms so they are not mistaken for strep throat.“I do not want Justin to have died in vain,” Rodgers said. “This is one bad bacteria. It is very serious. People should not treat it lightly.”To learn more about Lemierre’s Syndrome, visit the Rodgers’ family Web site at lemierresyndromejrodgers.blogspot.com.

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Justin & his Family!

We love you little brother!

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Justin E Rodgers Foundation for Lemierre's Awareness, Inc.

We formed a Non Profit Corporation to help us bring more awareness. You can purchase ribbons, T shirts, Bracelets or any other Awareness Items we have through our Paypal "Add to Cart" button to the left. Please talk about it and share this website with everyone you know. If everyone here told 3 Dr's about this disease it will help us save atleast 1 life I know it!

Thank you!!

The meaning behind the Camouflage

We thought that the camouflage colors would fit in perfectly with helping us describe Lemierre's Syndrome. This disease hides in other illnesses and is very hard to diagnose. That is why some lose their battle b/c it just simply takes to long for Dr's or other medical personnel to diagnose patients. In Justin's case it took almost over 2 weeks from the first day he was ill to diagnose him with Lemierre's Syndrome. This illness hides in your body and disguises itself as other illnesses sometimes mono, strep throat or just your average viral infection.

Tony & Justin May, 12 2007

Justin getting ready to walk mom down the Aisle.

Me and my baby brother dancing.

This was exactly to the day 1 year before he passed away.

Justin & Kristiana

March 6th, 2008 holding his first niece

Justin & Stephanie

April 15, 2008

Admitted to Hospital with Oxygen & IV's

April 17 2008

Justin on Respirtor a day later

April 25, 2008

Justin on the Ecmo machine 11th day in Hospital

May 12, 2008

It's to late for Justin but not for others. Justin didn't have Strep! He had LS.

Contributors

Blood donation

Justin received a lot of Blood and Platelets during his stay in the hospital. Some of the visitors we had asked the nurses if they could donate directly to Justin. You never realize how important these small things are until it is put right in front of your face.If anyone is interested in donating Blood here is the website to visit and look for a donation site. www.givelife.org

Justin's Bio ~ from Tammy

Where do I start! This is Tammy Justin's oldest sister, I was 11 when Justin was born. I was so excited; any little girl that age wants to have a baby in the house to love on. & that is exactly what I did. When he was old enough to talk he called me mommy! Any time my mom would punish him he would say "I'm gonna tell my Tammy!" There was one song that my mom, my friend Sarah & I would sing to him to calm him down. Justin the Bee!Justin was always happy & always got what he wanted "because he is the baby" my mom would say. LOL As I moved out and started my own family Justin & I started growing apart. What 19 year old wants her 8 year old brother hanging around? ;0) I will never forget when I told him I was pregnant with Allen (my oldest). He looked at me & said "YES, I'm gonna be a dad!" We immediately set him straight! "No, you’re going to be an uncle." But he was more then an uncle to my little one, he was like a big brother. He loved teaching Allen new things & they use to aggravate the living daylights out of each other! I use to get so frustrated w/ Justin. "LEAVE HIM ALONE" I use to say. He would get Allen all hyped up.Justin's hobbies are wake boarding, snow boarding, hanging out with his friends & family, listening to music & anything else a normal 17 year old LOVES to do. He was always happy & out going unless my mom or dad wouldn't give him what he wanted!! ;0) He was amazing on the water w/ that wake board & watching him on that tube was so funny! He was honestly your typical teenage boy that loved to get in trouble & have FUN!

"Justin Power"

We went out for Chrissy's birthday and took a "Justin Power" picture.

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Followers

Justin passed away very early in the morning. That night hundreds of his friends walked to my mom and dad's house holding candles and chanting his name! It was amazing and just what my mom and dad needed.